One Day
by april.jayce.kent
Summary: The Criminal Minds gang meet in high school. Chapter 1: Sometimes life was completely unfair. If Spencer was a normal kid, that would have been his argument, but Spencer isn't normal and neither was his situation. He knew the situation wasn't unfair and in fact may have even been good for him, but that didn't make him like it anymore.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes life was completely unfair. If Spencer was a normal kid, that would have been his argument, but Spencer isn't normal and neither was his situation. He knew the situation wasn't unfair and in fact may have even been good for him, but that didn't make him like it anymore.

He wishes his father would just pack his stuff into a bag and leave, but nothing could be that simple. His father wasn't so irrational that he would leave him alone with his schizophrenic mother who wouldn't remember to eat if she wasn't on her medication. No, instead he decided it would be better to tear Spencer from his roots, dragging both him and his mother to Virginia before dropping them off at Diane's sister, Ethel's house before hauling ass. Spencer kept telling his father that moving as a kid could affect his future relationships, making them have fewer high quality relationships and tend to overall have a lower well-being. His father obviously didn't listen to him.

Spencer doesn't blame his eidetic memory on remembering everything about his parents last fight that set his dad off, he feels even without it he'd have an elephants memory. It was the sound of glass breaking that had woken him up, his immediate thoughts going to them being robbed. Before he could take evasive action, Spencer heard something he had sadly grown accustomed to, his mother crying. His father's falsetto voice barely carried into his room, being mostly drowned out by Diane so it was hard for Spencer to hear what they were saying.

Walking closer to the door, Spencer pushed it open slightly, wincing at the loud creak that emitted from it. He let out a breath when he they kept fighting, obviously not hearing their son had awoken. "Dammit Diane, I can't do this anymore! Every day with the same shit, it's like I'm married to a toddler! Can't even wash yourself without some assistance!" Diane cut him off, hiccups interrupting every other word. "I'm ge-tting better, William. Spen-cer and I even went t-o the movi-es the o-ther day." She cried out, instead of yelling her voice was soft, as if she were talking to a child. William let out a huff and wiped his right hand down his face and walking over to the counter, leaning on it in exhaustion. "That was almost a month ago, Diane. Look," William turned around, looking at Diane with a look of absolute pity. "You know I love you and Spencer, but I can't even leave the house without worrying about you two. You can't take care of yourself and you can't take care of him. I know you don't like the idea but just think about it, it would be good for both you _and_ Spencer."

Diane let out another sob, shaking her head that was resting in her hands. "NO! I don't need anyone to help take care of Spencer and I. We're doing fine on our own." "DIANE, Spencer is taking care of you more than you are him. You two can't go on living like this any longer." How could someone look so caring, yet angry at the same time? Spencer may be able to understand the chemical process of emotions, but he doesn't think he'll ever truly understand them. His mother walked towards William as she realized he was right, falling into his arms as another wave of heart-wrenching sobs rack her body, a sound Spencer would never be able to forget.

That argument had happened just over a week ago and along with it came restless thinking and sleepless nights. When he started being unable to concentrate on the simplest of tasks such as washing the dishes, Spencer finally lay down and read books in his head until he fell asleep. He only getting 6 hours of sleep that night, but it was definitely better than none. He tried asking his parents what they were arguing about and who was going to take care of Spencer and Diane, but he apparently wasn't very good at bringing it up casually, making his father get angry and his mother's eyes fill with either tears or confusion, depending on how lucid she was. When the end of the week came, Spencer was hearing a ringing in his ears from how quiet it had been in the house. William came into his room on Friday evening, a bag in hand and a grim look on his face. "Pack a bag; I'm taking you and Diane to your aunt Ethel's." He said before leaving the room without even looking Spencer in the eyes.

He wasn't stupid, the conversation Spencer overheard now made since, he and his mother aren't coming back to Las Vegas. He couldn't say he was surprised, his father dumping them as someone else's responsibility, William was never good at taking responsibility, even if the responsibility is his wife and kid. It almost felt like fate hated Spencer, first making him smarter than everyone else, which immediately makes them hate him and when he finally starts getting along with people in school by coaching basketball, he has to move. But Spencer never was one to believe in fate.

The ride to Virginia felt like an eternity, each bump on the road bringing Spencer back to the reality that soon enough he would be going to a new high school and will, once again, be despised for his age and IQ. If he could, Spencer would be homeschooled, but his mother was adamant he went and endured the overwhelming smell of cologne and perfume, the testosterone filled jocks, and the bulimic cheerleaders who think they're better than everyone else. Diane thought it would give him character and the chance to have a semi normal life, but Spencer knew he never had a chance at being normal; it was but a pipe dream.

William looked at him through the rearview mirror every once in a while, with pursed lips and a sad look in his eyes. In Spencer's mind, he didn't have a right to look sad, it was his decision to dump Spencer and his mother off at Ethel's. Spencer hadn't seen her since he was 7 and the memories weren't that fond. She was a loud woman, constantly invading everyone's personal space and life and to top it off, she has 4 cats and half of their hair is covering her. She was always complaining about William, saying he was a good-for-nothing husband, who sooner or later was going to leave. Spencer can now see just how right she was.

Looking out the window, Spencer watched as they pulled up to a one story, yellow house with white shutters and dead bushes in the front, the only difference from the last time he was there was that it looked older. He saw her face peak out the window but the curtains closed seconds later and then she was rushing out the door, waving excitedly at them as the car pulled into the driveway. Ethel wasn't a small woman, the opposite in fact, she was a large woman who constantly wore flower nightgowns and had short, curly brown hair that barely went to her ears.

It wasn't a welcoming sight, a creepy old house and an aunt he barely even knew, but it wasn't that bad compared to what it could be. Diane got out of the car before it stopped, rushing to her sister while William sat in the parked car for a second before turning around and facing Spencer. "I know it isn't ideal, but this is what's best for you and your mother. Maybe you'll even like it here." William said hopefully, but even he didn't believe his words. "We both know that's not true." Spencer said after a couple of seconds before grabbing the book beside him and getting out of the car.

"Spencer! Spencer, come here!" Ethel yelled over to him with an excited voice, rapidly waving her hand, motioning him to come to her. Trying to keep the cringe off his face, Spencer walked slowly over to her, preparing himself for unwanted human contact. When he finally made it up the last step, his senses wear bombarded with the scent of cats and cigarettes. He would've sneezed if Ethel hadn't been squeezing him so tightly. "Ohh you've gotten soooo big! How long has it been? 5, 6 years?" Ethel asked, her voice croaking from years of chain-smoking. "3 years and 9 months." Spencer answered quietly, but Ethel didn't hear him. Pulling him to an arm's length, she examines him with a disapproving look. "Oh this hair will not due! It's gotten _way_ too long, we're gonna have to get you a haircut." She says turning his head left and right, looking at it from all angles.

Truthfully his hair wasn't that long, it barley reached his chin but he did plan on growing it longer, no matter what she said. William walked up to them holding some of Diane's bags, causing Ethel to pull Diane and Spencer into an embrace while glaring at William, as if she was protecting them. He only glanced at them for a moment before walking past them and into the house, coming out seconds later to get more bags. Most were full of books, out of the 12 bags, only 3 or 4 having their clothes and other personal items in them. "I told you he wasn't good enough." Ethel whispered feverishly to them, still glaring at William as he passed them.

When all the bags were in the house, William walked up to them with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face. He looked at all of them and let out a sigh, running a hand over his face, something Spencer noticed he did when he was upset. Spencer tried keeping the frown off his face, but at least he could stop the tears that were in his eyes from falling. Even if his father was technically abandoning them, it was still his father and the thought of not being good enough for him was something that made his chest ache. He knew his father would inevitably leave, he could sense it in the way he talked to him and his mother, but that didn't make it any easier.

"I do love you guys, I hope you know that. Know that no matter how far apart we are, I will always be thinking of you two." William said to them in a voice that didn't completely convince Spencer that he meant what he was saying. William got to go back to Nevada, back to their home and go on living as if Spencer and his mother were never in his life to begin with, nothing that he said could change that they all knew that was exactly what he was going to do. He gave Spencer and Diane one last, what was supposed to be a meaningful look before turning around and walking to the car. As William drove away, Spencer felt the weight of Ethel's arm getting heavier and the smell getting stronger, feeling as if it was suffocating him. A small tear rolled down Spencer face when their his father's car went out of sight.

"Come on; let's go get you two unpacked." Ethel ushered them inside, having to pull a hysterical Diane with her. Stepping inside, Spencer felt his eyes widen at how much dust and cat hair there was everywhere. The white walls and cabinets were turned yellow from nicotine, there was one potted plant on the window seal but it had long since died, and animal figurines were on all of the furniture, a collection she had obviously been collecting for a while and was _very_ proud of. The sink and surrounding counter was full of dirty dishes; Spencer was sure he saw a fly buzzing around them. He could honestly say he was not a fan of her house. "Now the attic was turned into a bedroom by the previous owners, I'm sure it's perfect for you Spencey." Ethel said pinching his left cheek, making him try to give a small smile as to not be ruse but it was mostly a grimace. She led Diane to the couch before motioning Spencer to follow her down the hallway. "Now there are boxes up there but there isn't a lot so I'm sure you can move around them." She explained as she pulled the rope hanging from the ceiling, a latter coming down from it. Spencer stared at it, wondering how many different bugs and animals were up there. "Now go on in." She says making a shoeing motion at him.

Spencer gave her an uneasy look before slowly making his way up the latter, sneezing when he got to the top from all the dust in the air. His jaw dropped when his eyes stopped watering and he could see the mess that was the attic. Boxes littered the floor, stacked up on each other so high he couldn't see over them and winding so he couldn't see the whole room. Walking through the empty path, Spencer read the writing on all the boxes, ranging from 'Kitchen' to 'Sports' to 'Gnomes'. He was actually surprised by how many gnome boxes he saw.

It didn't take a genius to see that his aunt was a hoarder and bad one at that. Finally making it to a little open space, a bed was placed beside a small window with a desk resting under the window. Letting out a sigh, Spencer stood, not even liking the thought of being a room with so many germs much less touching the furniture covered in them. It was obvious he would have to do some major cleaning before he would be at least a little comfortable in it, so he got to work. After getting the sheets off the bed, Spencer found the washing machine and put the dirty sheets in them for the maximum amount of time the old washer would allow. Then he got cleaning supplies that looked to be from the 80's and got to cleaning the small area in his room and the path that lead to his area.

He will admit that he made some very unmanly noises when he found a spiders web with one of the biggest spiders he had ever seen in person on it, but when he realized it was just a harmless water spider, he carefully capture it and released it out the window. He moved the boxes into neater piles, so they didn't look like they were going to fall and vacuumed all the cobwebs and dust from the whole room, including the boxes. His aunt Ethel came to check on him every hour or so, making sure to bring the sweating boy a glass of water with her and offering him wide smiles while asking if he was working hard or hardly working.

By the time he gotten the room in decent condition, it was completely dark outside and his Aunt was calling him for dinner, saying a small boy like him needed to get some meat on his bones; to which he responded by saying that for his height to weight ratio he was relatively healthy, if just slightly underweight. When he went downstairs his mother was sitting at the table laughing with Ethel about something he hadn't heard. "Finally Spencer, we thought you'd never come out of your room." Diane said with a wide smile as he sat at the table. He gave her a small smile back before looking at the food choices. She certainly had all the food groups and enough of it to feed a small village.

"So, how has school been going? I heard you were in some advanced classes." Ethel said loudly towards Spencer, shocking him so much he nearly dropped his fork. "He is. Spencer is already in the 9th grade." Diane says fondly smiling at Spencer. "I'm in the 12th grade, mom." Spencer said quietly, looking at his food as his mother looked at him confused. "No, you're not Spencer." She said back. Spencer just nodded his head, agreeing with her knowing it was the best thing to do. "How exciting!" Ethel exclaims, obviously trying to change the subject and luckily Diane does drop it. "Well, the schooling here is very good. I went down and talked to the principle when William told me you were moving in with me and they principle, Mrs. Strauss, said that they had many different elective choices with professionals teaching. From what I remember, they have cooking, home economics, workshop and something else I can't remember. Don't quite have Spencer's memory." Ethel jokes, making Diane let out a chuckle while Spencer could only manage a weak smile.

"Oh, Spencey! Don't look so sad, this move was for the best." Ethel said reaching over and placing a hand on his shoulder. Spencer looked at it for a second before looking up at her and questioning, "Is it really, though?" Removing her hand, Ethel gave him a small smile before looking down at her food, leaving them all in silence except the occasional scrape of a fork. The rest of dinner was filled in the same silence except Ethel and Diane's occasional conversations, leaving Spencer to his own thoughts. When his mother finally dismissed him from dinner, Spencer hurried into the kitchen, glad to get away from the awkward silence. Deciding there was no time better than now; Spencer started washing each dish thoroughly before putting it in the dish washer, not trusting it to get all the grime off.

When he was almost finished, Ethel came in and leaned against the sink next to him. He didn't look at her for a couple of seconds, taking longer than usual to wash the plate in his hand. "Spencer, I know this is hard for you. Your mother and I were constantly moving to new places as kids and going to new schools was a scary thing, especially high school. But it's not all bad. Sure, some people are mean but there are some people you'll meet in high school that you don't understand how you lived without. Change is good." Ethel said, causing Spencer to stop washing and look up at her. "I'm 11, not exactly someone a high schooler would want to be friends with, Aunt Ethel, the opposite in fact. My knowledge makes people hate me unless it's benefiting them. Change isn't always good."

Letting out a sigh, Ethel put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a long look. "Spencey, they don't like your knowledge because it intimidates them. One day, you're going to meet someone who can keep up with that big brain of yours, I promise. Don't always look on the bad side; you'll kill yourself doing that." She said before giving him a kiss on the forehead and walking away. Spencer let out a sigh before putting the last dish in the dish washer and turning it on; leaning against it once it was running.

He couldn't help it if people were intimidated by his knowledge, it was hard to hide being in high school while 11 and whatnot, but maybe his aunt was right. If he just tried harder to not be a know it all and try proving himself, then maybe he could make friends. It would be hard but maybe if he tried acting like a regular kid or teenager it would work and someone would like him for once. But even if they did, someone would always not like them because you can't be liked by everybody. Pushing himself off the dish washer, Spencer walked to the attic and sat on the bed to stare out the window. He just hoped that Monday would come later than expected.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The weekend didn't go by slow, the opposite in fact. His aunt had decided he needed more clothes, even though he had 3 shirts, 2 sweaters and a pair of pants, which was good enough for him. So most of Saturday he found himself with Ethel buying all the clothes he'd ever need. He got vests, collared shirts, sweaters, and good old tee shirts with random logos he didn't know on them, and even if he wasn't one for shopping it was great to get out of that musty old house and do something besides curling up by his mother and reading. When they got back he spent time unpacking his bags and putting up the clothes Ethel bought him, which took longer than he thought; almost 2 hours to go through and put them in the right drawers.

And on Sunday he read almost the whole day. He hadn't meant to read all day, really, he had just wanted to study in case this high school is farther ahead than his last one, but one book turned into another book, which turned into another and so on. Ethel brought him a food every once in a while, trying to make small talk, but Spencer never as good at small talk so it turned into an awkward silence pretty fast. Diane had been having a good day so she came into his room and sat with him, allowing him to read to her instead of how it usually was. It was refreshing to Spencer and made him feel as if he was growing up, being in his mother's position.

When Monday finally came around, Spencer was sick to his stomach with worry, nervous about being put into a new social environment; something he was never good at. He chose one of his regular old sweaters instead of a new one, knowing he'll need all the familiarity he can get, and a regular pair of jeans. When he went downstairs to get breakfast, Ethel looked over at him and her eyes grew wide. "You're hair!" She exclaimed before fast-walking over to him and combing through his hair with her fingers, trying too tame his curls. For some reason, today of all days, his hair had decided it was going to go against his will and curl up, making him look like a girl in his opinion. "Gel. I've got gel." Ethel said, walking away and to the bathroom.

Grabbing a slice of toast off the table, Spencer put jam on it while listening to Ethel ruffle through stuff in her bathroom, an occasional loud crash coming from it, to which Spencer would ask if she was okay and she would say yes. After finishing his second piece of toast, Spencer got a glass of milk and walked over to the couch where his mother was sat reading a book. She looked up as he got closer and gave him a smile. "You look quite dapper." She said, making him go red. "What book do you want to read today, Spencer?" He cringed at the question, knowing she would be disappointed he had school. Before he could reply, Ethel came racing around the corner, an old bottle of hair gel in one hand and a comb in the other.

Settling down next to Spencer, she immediately went to work, transitioning between putting gel in his hair and smoothing it over with the comb. It took her 5 minutes to finish and when she was done, Spencer was seriously worried his hand would get stuck in his hair if he tried running his fingers through it. Ethel sat there for a moment and admired her work with a smile, before smacking him on the back and walking to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Spencer went to the bathroom to examine his hair and was thoroughly surprised that it actually didn't look half bad. (I'm imagining season 1 Reid)

A honk was heard outside and then Ethel yelling, "Spencey! The bus is here!" Looking at his hair one last time in the mirror, Spencer walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his messenger bag before walking out the door. He felt as if he were a warrior marching towards a battle as he got closer to the bus, each step feeling more and more like impending doom. The door to the bus opened as he got near, letting out the usual hissing sound a bus makes as it does. The bus driver did not at all seem like she wanted to be there, the opposite in fact. She gave him an unimpressed look, neither a frown nor a smile on her face before looking back at the road, as if he was the most boring thing she'd ever seen. Turning toward the people on the bus, Spencer looked at the ground, refusing to look at a single person. He found a seat closest to the front and sat down quickly, sinking a little in his seat as he pulled out a book from his bag and began reading.

He had gotten halfway through the book before someone interrupted him. "Can you really read that fast?" It was a blonde girl, maybe a year or to younger than him with blonde hair that was in two uneven ponytails and her voice was full of skepticism. "The conscious brain can process 50 bits of information in a second while the unconscious can process 11 million bits." Spencer immediately replied, not putting much thought into what he was saying before going back to his book. When he noticed the girl didn't turn back around but instead was still staring at him he looked back up and replied, "Yes, I can read this fast."

"You must be new." She said, obviously not done with their conversation. "Yes, I am. Spencer Reid." He replied, wincing when she held a hand out to shake. "I don't shake hands." He said quickly, hoping he didn't seem rude. She raised an eyebrow but put her hand down anyway. "Ashley Seaver." The small girl replied, giving him a strange look. "What?" He asked, wondering what she was looking at. "You're one of those know-it-alls, aren't you?" Ashley questioned, obviously having no boundaries. Spencer blushed bright red at what could be interpreted as an insult before shaking his head. "I don't think so."

"Why'd you move?" She asked, making Spencer feel more uncomfortable the longer she tried making conversation. "I'd prefer not to answer. I'd really like to get back to reading, if you wouldn't mind." Spencer said, knowing he was being rude but quite frankly not even caring. "Touchy." Is all she said before turning back around and sitting in her seat like a normal human being. Rolling his eyes, Spencer opened his book back to the page he was on and continued reading. Before he could even read 10 pages the bus was pulling to a stop in front of the high school. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Spencer closed his book before shoving it in his bag. He waited until all the high schoolers in the back of the bus got off before following after them, only to get stopped by the bus driver.

"This is the high school." She said rudely, making the faint blush Spencer still had get darker. "I-I know. I skipped 5 grades. I'm a senior." He responded, rushing off the bus before she could say anything else, he figured she didn't care enough to follow him anyways. Looking around, Spencer felt himself shaking at the sight of hundreds of teenagers, some sitting on the ground, some reading, and some just hanging in groups at the front entrance. Not knowing where to go, Spencer stood awkwardly, wincing every time someone stared at him, knowing they were judging him because of his age. After standing for only 1 minute someone started walking toward him, making him shift uncomfortably, wondering whether he should just pretend he didn't see them and just walk away or just stand and make conversation. He was going to run but before he could the girl gave him a small smile, obviously sensing his urgency. "Hey, are you lost?" She asked, bending down a little bit to be his height, something that made him feel inferior. Looking at her, he could sense that she seemed in between popular and regular, with regular brown hair that fell to shoulder length and big dark brown eyes that had different lighter browns in it. She was wearing a striped shirt with different shades of purple and a green army jacket with flared jeans and brown boots. Spencer felt underdressed just standing next to her, making him feel _that_ much more inadequate. "N-No!" Spencer rushed out making the girl jump a little bit and some people around them look over, startled. Blushing bright red, Spencer chaste himself internally for saying it so loudly.

"I just-I, I'm sorry. I just meant, I'm not lost. I skipped a couple of grades." Spencer rushed out, preparing himself to run away from embarrassment. The girl nodded a wide smile on her face at his social awkwardness. "I'm Elle by the way, Elle Greenaway." She said, putting a hand out for him to shake. He glanced at it, wondering why everyone in this town was so keen on shaking hands. Before he said anything about not shaking her hand, she put her hand down, being very good at picking up on body language. "Spencer Reid, it's nice to meet you." He said back, using the regular niceties trying to make up for the lack of handshaking. "I'm assuming your new here, where are you from?" She asked curiously. "Las Vegas. I just moved here over the weekend actually, so yeah…" He trailed off awkwardly, wondering what to say. "Rad." She said back, glancing at her wrist watch before looking back up at him and motioning towards the building. "Schools starting in a minute or two, do you know where your classes are?" She questioned, making him shake his head. "This is the first time I've been to this school." He said, looking around as a bell rang and people started shuffling inside.

"Give me your schedule." Elle demanded, holding a hand out for him to hand it to her. Giving her an awkward look, Spencer scratches the back of his neck. "I don't have it." Raising her eyebrows, Elle gives him an unimpressed look. "Eidetic memory." He says before she can ask why he doesn't have it. She nods understandingly before asking him, "Then tell your classes." "1st period is Honors Literary Analysis and Composition II with Ms. Davis, 2nd period is P.E with Mr. Wheeler, 3rd period is Spanish with Ms. Irwin, 4th period is psychology with Mr. Canner, I have 5th period free, 6th period I have linguistics with Mr. Barnes, and I also have 7th period free." Spencer said so fast Elle almost didn't understand it. "What about science and math?" She asked, mouth opened a little in shock. "I tested out of them, I could've done the same with English but I like it too much." Spencer responded, deepening her confusion at how a kid could be so smart.

Shaking her head, Elle shook off the confusion. "Okay then. Let's go." She said before starting to walk towards the school. Following after her with his eyebrows furrowed, Spencer asked, "Go? Go where?" Rolling her eyes at him she responded, "I'm going to show you to your class. How else are you going to find it?" "Well I was going to ask a teacher how to-""It was a rhetorical question." She said cutting him off, giving him a sideways look at the fact he didn't notice that it was rhetorical. Spencer muttered out a quiet 'oh' before running after her, barely able to keep up with her long strides even though he was only approximately 12.7 centimeters shorter than her.

Most people stared as they passed, whispering about who was walking with Elle and how he looked. No matter how many times people stopped and stared at Spencer, he had never gotten used to it still blushing every single time. Elle definitely saw them staring, she'd be blind not to, but obviously didn't look bothered by it. She just kept walking with her air of confidence, not even looking at anyone as they passed and instead staring straight forward as if none of them were worth her time. Spencer admired her for her confidence, it was the exact opposite of him and he couldn't the jealousy he felt towards her. After walking for a few minutes with Elle, memorizing where the classrooms where as she explained them, they finally made it to Ms. Davis' classroom. "I better get boing to class, but I think we have the same psychology class so maybe I'll see you there." Elle said, giving him a pat on the shoulder before walking away backwards saying, "And if anyone gives you shit, tell them they're gonna have to deal with me." Spencer nodded and gave her a small wave before walking into the classroom.

"You must be Spencer Reid." An old woman with brown hair says, walking up to him and giving him a wide smile while holding out a hand to shake. Spencer stared at it for moment before adjusting his glasses and looking back up into her curious eyes. "I don't really like shaking hands." Snickers were heard throughout the classroom when Spencer said this, making him duck his head in embarrassment, hoping they didn't see his reddening cheeks. "Quiet down." The teacher said in the same kind tone but this time her words were more firm. Turning back to Spencer, she gives him an apologetic smile and puts an arm around his shoulder, walking him to the front of the class. "Everyone, this is Spencer Reid, he's new here. I expect you all to treat him with the same respect you would treat anyone your own age, he is exceptionally bright." She stops for a moment and looks at him, giving him a wide smile as she said that. "Is there anything you'd like to say about yourself?"

Looking around the classroom, Spencer takes in everyone's faces and the disinterest in them before clearing his throat and responding, "Not really." Ms. Davis looked at him for a moment, as if she was assessing him for something he didn't know before nodding, "Okay then. You can take a seat by Mr. Morgan, I trust him to give you a short review of what we've done so far. And the rest of you can turn to page 394, I expect you to finish reading in the next 15 minutes before we discuss." Spencer looks around for a moment, wondering who Morgan was before a guy raised his hand and signaled him over.

For a moment Spencer was slightly terrified when he saw Morgan, the guy being big, buff and wearing a football jacket, just like the guys who teased him relentlessly at his old school, but this guy was different. Instead of staring at Spencer with a condescending sneer, he was giving Spencer a wide smile that reached his eyes and eyebrows raised in amusement. Spencer still walked over a little unsure, not daring to let his guard down even if the guy seemed okay. "Hey, I'm Derek." He says when Spencer gets to him and for once, Spencer decides maybe he can at least try to make friends and so he smiles back. "So kid, you some kind of genius?" Derek asked when Spencer sat down, both analyzing each other.

Looking down at the desk, Spencer shook his head. "I don't think intelligence can be accurately quantified, but I do have an eidetic memory, can read 20,000 words per minute and an IQ of 187." Derek makes a scoffing noise but instead of being vindictive it had a bit of an amused laugh to it. "Alright then," He says before getting into what they had been doing since school started the previous month. It didn't take long for him to catch Spencer up since Spencer already knew what they were learning and after they read page 394, well after _Derek_ finished he turned to Spencer.

"How'd you get to be so smart anyways?" Spencer's mouth opened for a moment, trying to think of how to explain but decided to go the simple route and say, "Genetics mostly, but I also read a lot as a child so that definitely contributed to my intelligence." "Wish I could skip some grades, get outta this town sooner." Derek said back, looking as if he was thinking about something in deep thought. "I don't think this place is too bad. Seems normal." Spencer says shrugging at the end, not understanding Derek's need to leave. "I'm not from here, Chicago actually. I'm used to a big city, can barely sleep with how quiet it is. I'm used to police sirens and gunshots; this small town bullshit puts me on edge." Spencer snorted, looking away when Derek looked at him curiously. "It's just, it can get pretty loud where I'm from, too, and the quietness of this town is actually very soothing to me." He explained, feeling a little embarrassed for a reason he could not explain. "Your cup of tea, man." Derek said chuckling before letting out a small groan as the teacher walked to the front of the class, prepared to talk to them about their next lesson.

When the end of their class came, Spencer quickly put his binder back in his bag but before he could leave, Derek called his name. "Yeah?" Spencer asked, looking back at him confused. "What's your next class?" Spencer felt his lip curl up involuntarily, "P.E." He answered, making Derek laugh at his look of absolute disgust. "Good luck with that. Coach Wheeler isn't _too_ bad, just don't let him hear you complaining, you may or may not live to regret it." Derek said, making Spencer nod. "Duly noted." He said before making his way out of the classroom and to the gym.

Gym was exactly how he expected, the coach was a dick, he finished last during the mile run, and everyone laughed at him for it but there was one good thing. A girl was in his P.E. class, she seemed to be in 10th or 11th grade with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, reminding him of a princess, who didn't laugh at him and instead gave him a pitiful glance and told her friends to be quiet. Spencer knows he was making it seem a lot bigger than it is, she was just a teenage girl who took pity on him and didn't actually like him, but when someone who looks like she even acknowledges his existence, well let's just say he blushes bright red and ducks his head.

When P.E. was over and he was getting changed in the locker room, two guys came over to him. Spencer could practically smell the confidence and testosterone reeking from them and the smirks on their faces made his stomach twist up, but not in a good way. "What the hell are they doing letting this little prick into the high school?" The first guys asked the second one, gaining the attention of other guys in the room. Guy two scoffs, looking Spencer up and down before replying, "They do teach the _retards_ here." Spencer could barely hear them over the pounding of his heart, wondering if they were going to simply pick on him or do something worse. "A-actually, I'm-I've got a very high IQ." Spencer tried saying, trying to prove he wasn't as weak as he seemed at his old school, but he didn't feel like he was convincing anyone.

His body started shaking as the first guy, obviously the dominant one in their friendship, slammed his hand on the locker behind Spencer, effectively leaving Spencer no way to escape. "He thinks he's smart, huh?" Guy one asked, looking down at Spencer as if he were dirt on a beach. Before Spencer could run away, guy two opened the locker beside them and helped guy one put a screaming and biting Spencer in the locker and lock it. Light was peeking through the slits and laughter was echoing in the room for a few moments but soon the door shut and he was left in complete silence, well almost complete. Spencer's sniffles and loud breathing was heard throughout it, making Spencer feel _that_ much lonelier. He thought that maybe this school would be different, he had actually made two acquaintances, but nothing had changed, people still hated him for being, well, himself.

After 5 minutes of no one coming in, Spencer realized that this period the coach must have free, meaning nobody was coming to get him until next period and he was going to miss Spanish. And that was when the finale twig snapped and he started screaming and banging on it, trying as hard as he might to either get coach's attention if he was there or to break the old locker down. Tears were streaming down his face as he screamed for help, wishing he could get out of the cramped locker and just go to class. He didn't realize that someone had come in, the banging of the door blending in with the noise he was making, but it wasn't as hard to distinguish the sound of someone's voice.

Spencer immediately stopped banging when he heard the deep voice, wondering whether they were going to help him or just laugh at him and leave. "Are you okay?" The guy asked again, standing in front of the locker. "Y-yeah. I just-I'd like to get out now, please." Spencer responded in a weak voice, his throat sore from screaming. "Don't worry, I'll get you out. What's the code?" The guy asked again, fiddling with the lock. "291." Spencer let out a sigh of relief at the sound of the lock clicking before the door was opened by the mysterious guy. Said guy grabbed Spencer's arm and gently helped him get out while he looked Spencer up and down for marks.

The guy had dark brown hair that almost looked black and he had stern looking brown eyes but all in all didn't seem like a bad guy. "Who put you in there?" He asked before Spencer could say anything, seeming pretty pissed someone picked on him. "I don't know. It was just two guys-""Of course." The guy said cutting Spencer off. At the confused look on the boy's face, he explained. "Matt Oliver and Samuel Parrish, the only assholes at this school who pick on people together." He explained, taking a moment to look at Spencer. "Aren't you a little-""I skipped a couple of grades. I'm Spencer, Spencer Reid."

"Aaron Hotchner. How long were you in there?" He asked, looking back into the locker as if it would tell him. "30 minutes. I'm so late for class." Spencer whined looking at his wristwatch with a frown. "As soon as we explain this to the principle-""NO!" Spencer yelled, not caring if he seemed rude. "I'm not going to the principle." He said calmer when Aaron made a face. "Why not?" Spencer sighed, tucking his hair behind his ear. "It's my first day; I'm not ruining my life at this school by being a snitch." He explained in a soft voice, looking Aaron in the eyes. They maintained eye contact for a few moments before Aaron looked away, thinking about what to do.

"I'll take you to class, say that you were signing up for theater and it took longer than expected." Aaron finally says, starting to walk out of the locker room. "But I'm not in theater." Spencer says, making Aaron turn around. "You are now."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Spencer and Aaron made it to his Spanish class, there was only 10 minutes left in the period. Ms. Irwin was skeptical to say the least, she was an odd looking woman who wore dark red lipstick and had more wrinkles than an elephant. She almost didn't let them in the classroom, complaining about how students thought they could come and go as they pleased and that nobody respected the virtue of time anymore, but luckily Aaron is a sweet talker, instantly turning the teacher into putty in his hands. After explaining that Spencer had been auditioning for theater, Aaron went on to compliment Ms. Irwin, asking if she had done something with her hair and if so to keep doing it while Spencer watched, amazed that someone could be so….so coquettish without making it seem _too_ obvious.

After blushing a bit and turning down Aaron, Ms. Irwin dismissed Aaron and told Spencer to sit in front of a girl with raven colored hair that was teased so high it made Spencer question the gravitational pull of the room. Gulping back his fears, Spencer cautiously walked to the seat in front of said girl, wincing as she looked up at him quickly, as if sensing him nearing. With quick, calculative eyes she looked him up and down, her eyebrow rising further towards her hair line with each passing second. Spencer was sure he was breaking a sweat, but refrained from wiping his forehead, afraid she'd see it as a sign of weakness, almost like a predator sizing up its prey. When she finally saw enough and went back to reading the book in her lap, Spencer let out a sigh of relief and sat in front of her, sitting as close to the front of the seat as he can without falling off.

"Emily Prentiss." A neutral voice said behind him, making Spencer jump in fright. "What?" He asked, swiveling around to see who said it. "My name." The girl behind him said as if she were talking to a child, which technically she was. "O-oh." He said back, nodding slightly as if any sudden movement would make her attack. He knew he shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but her posture and the air of danger around her, made him feel as if she was exactly as she looked. Scary.

"You gonna sit there with your dick in your hand or tell me your name?" She snapped, raising her eyebrows at the unresponsive boy. "S-Spencer Reid." He hurried out, not wanting to upset her any further, she must've already thought he was an imbecile and he didn't want to further prove it. She snorted, as if his name was amusing before commenting, "How ironic." Spencer stared for a moment, wondering whether he should turn back around, seeing as she hadn't even looked up from her book once, or if he should just sit there like an idiot, waiting for her to say anything else. Luckily, before he continued staring like a fool for any longer, Emily spoke up again.

"Heard you are joining theater." She said, glancing up in time to see Spencer nod his head in one, jerky movement. "Are you in it?" Spencer asked, internally chaste himself for the shakiness in his voice. Emily peered at him with squinted eyes, as if searching for an alternative motive before nodding her head and Spencer swears a very small smile is on her face. "Yeah, I'm one of the few people in it. We only have 7 people in it so far, even falling behind the chess team in numbers." She finishes disgust in her voice at the mention of the chess team. "There's a chess team?" Spencer asks, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. Giving him an amused look, Emily said, "Yeah there's a chess team. What? Did your last school not have one?" Shaking his head quickly, Spencer started rambling.

"No, we had one, but it only consisted of two people, if you count me. The teacher in charge would sometimes play with me, but other than that I beat the other guy in the team every time. He eventually got tired of not winning and quit, so it was disbanded. No one wanted to pay funding for a chess club if there was only one person in it." Instead of giving him an annoyed look, Emily looked at him like she actually cared about what he was saying, her true demeanor shining through the mean façade she liked to put up. Spencer wondered about what happened to her, what was so terrible that she thought she had to scare other people off. He thought that it definitely had to have been big for her to even make her appearance terrifying as to not attract anyone.

"Sadly people are more attracted to the chess club than theater; it's only a matter of 'when' not 'if' they disband it." Emily cut in, malice in her voice at the thought of theater ending. "Why aren't many people in theater?" Spencer asked, confusion lacing his voice. Emily winced, tilting her head to one side. "In this school…..theater is kind of like the chess club from your old school. It's only for freaks and geeks, the outcasts." She responded, seeming like she was actually trying not to hurt the kid's feelings. Spencer thinks that maybe she sees herself at a younger age in him. But then again Spencer wasn't the great profiler he wished to be yet; he was just a kid trying to over-calculate every move people make.

Before they could continue speaking, the bell rang its annoying tune and people were rushing out of the room at a pace his father would call, 'faster than lightening'. All left fast except Emily, who took her time putting her book in her bag and strolling out of the room. Before Spencer could rush after her, Ms. Irwin called his name, a permanent frown on her face. "Yes ma'am?" He questioned, his toes tapping the floor as a nervous tick from worrying he'll be late for class. "We haven't really done anything in class yet, I don't like to overwhelm the students so soon." She explains, making Spencer wonder where this was going. Handing him a sheet of paper with 'Get to Know Me' printed on the front and a bunch of questions going down the sheet, Ms. Irwin sighed and walked over to her desk. "I expect it to be completed within the next two months."

Spencer's eyes widen at the due date, wondering who would take so long to finish something that was simply questions about the person. "I expect an essay about you on the back with a minimum of 3,000 words. What you choose to say about yourself is all up to you just get it in at the due date." Ms. Irwin continued, dismissing him after she finished explaining. Still not understanding such an outrageous due date, Spencer walked out of the room after stuffing the paper in his bag. Most people were already in their class, the ones that weren't were obviously skipping. _Great_ , Spencer thought, _I'm going to be late to yet_ another _class, such a remarkable first day._

"Hey kid, watch where you're going!" A voice said, knocking Spencer out of his thoughts as he realized he was about to walk into the janitor's cart. Eyes widened, Spencer stares at the Italian man with a blush coming to his cheeks. "Sorry." He mumbled, looking at the ground. "What's got you so down in the dumps?" The man asks before Spencer can continue on his not-so –merry way. His breath reeks of alcohol and Spencer contemplates whether he should even bother answering, something he had to do more and more as the day wore on and he was introduced to more social interactions. Looking up at the curious man, maybe in his late 30's, Spencer felt words vomit bubbling up and unable to stop himself, he basically exploded. "Hmmm, I don't know, maybe it's got to do with being made fun of, shoved in a locker, forced to join a club, being late for class, or maybe it has to do with the fact I'm about to be late to yet another class!"

Both the janitor and Spencer were shocked by the sudden outburst, Spencer immediately apologizing while having no clue what took over him. The janitor, Rossi as his nametag spelled, waved it off saying that it wasn't the first time some kid had yelled at him about a shit day. "It may be bad now, but one day you're gonna be making big bucks and the meat heads making fun of you now, are gonna be begging for a raise. Just like hunting, it's a waiting game." Rossi said before rolling his cart away, leaving Spencer to contemplate his words. On one hand, Rossi was right about Spencer being successful and the 'meat heads' as Rossi so delicately put will be below him, but on the other hand, that didn't seem appealing to Spencer in the slightest. He didn't want to be bigger than them or more successful than them, he just wanted to be an equal. The ring of the late bell knocked him out of his thoughts, making Spencer dash for his next class, and run up the stairs as fast as his short legs would take him.

It only took him 56 seconds to make it all the way across the building while maintaining the same speed he began with and ignoring the stitch in his side. He could only hope his psychology teacher would be lenient to someone on their first day at a new school but he didn't have high hopes. When he arrived to the classroom, Spencer was relieved the door was already opened and hurriedly walked into the classroom, making the teacher stop in the middle of his lecture about talking while a superior is speaking. This class obviously had some discipline problems, seeing as they were talking while he was saying that but Spencer wouldn't judge; heck, he sure wouldn't be able to control a class of rowdy teenagers.

"And you are?" Mr. Canner asked, raising a gray eyebrow at Spencer. Only one or two people in the class even bothered looking up at Spencer when he walked in, some were asleep, some were drawing, and some were just staring off into space. Spencer couldn't tell whether this was a good or bad sign. "Spencer Reid, I'm new." He answered, fidgeting under the gaze of his teacher. "4th period started," Mr. Canner paused for a moment, looking at the clock behind him. "8 minutes ago, Mr. Reid." He stated, giving Spencer a disapproving look. "Y-Yeah, I-I got held up back i-in S-Spanish." Spencer stumbled out, shaking his head at how awkward he is. "Very well, take a seat."

Looking around, Spencer felt his blood run cold at the sight of the first jock that shoved him in the locker. When the philistine saw Spencer looking at him, he smirked and winked at Spencer, making the boy shiver in fear. "Spencer." Elle whispered, gaining the attention of the young boy and motioning him over while looking between Spencer and the jock. Gathering his wits, Spencer rushed over and sat beside Elle, who noticed the fearful look on his face. "What did he do?" Elle asked as soon as he sat down, both ignoring the teacher who was once again starting his speech about respect for authority. Wringing his hands, Spencer stares at them while answering, "N-Nothing, it was a stupid prank."

Elle gave him a disbelieving look, head cocked to the side and eyes scrutinizing him with disbelief written all over her face. "Really?" She asked, drawing out the word for a few seconds. Spencer felt as if he was going to break and tell her just because of the way she was looking at him, but Spencer decided to hold his ground. Trying his hardest to wipe the nervous look off his face, Spencer gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look. "Really, I'm fine. Aaron Hotchner helped me out before it got out of hand." It was a lie, but only a small lie that covered up a truth that would be embarrassing to him. Elle let out a sigh, obviously not believing him but decided to move on anyways. "Mr. Canner is the least strict teacher at this school, but if you actually care about learning that's not a good thing. He usually just throws on documentaries about psychology, so it's not too bad." Elle explained, making a face at the mention of documentaries while Spencer perks up at the mention of them. He had always liked them better than reading from a textbook; they seemed to just have more detail about subjects rather than skimming through them.

4th period went by fairly quick; Elle and Spencer spent most of it talking about different subject they could think about. One moment Elle would be telling a story about her sister falling out of a tree and the next Spencer would be giving a full rundown of the different types of injuries someone could get by falling out a tree and how many people fall out of a tree in their lifetime. She had been a little annoyed by his constant statistics but after a while she got used to it and actually liked knowing the different things she never would have even thought of. "I'll see you later. Try not to get into any trouble okay?" Elle said, putting a consoling hand on his shoulder before walking away and to her next class.

Before Spencer had the chance to go to the library for his free period, Aaron walked up to him, motioning Spencer to follow him before walking off. "Where are we going?" Spencer asked, practically jogging beside the senior. "To the gym. There's a stage there that we use for theater." Aaron answered, slowing his pace a little as he realized Spencer was struggling to keep up. The senior smiled down at Spencer, "How has your first day been, besides the incident with Matt and Oliver?" Spencer thought for a moment, wondering what he thought about his day. On one hand, he had been bullied but it wasn't nearly as bad as his old school and he did make new acquaintances, who have the potential to be friends, but he missed his old town and he missed his father.

"It was okay." Spencer said, deciding to go the easy route and bottle his feelings up, just like he's done all of his life. Aaron sensed something was off with Spencer, but didn't say anything, obviously knowing it would be overstepping his boundaries. "So, what do you do in theater?" Spencer asked, hoping they didn't do live performances, he was not ready for that embarrassment. "We learn about the performing arts and how to interpret different dialogue, Penelope is always suggesting impromptu acting but that rarely happens, and we perform plays for either just our club or the whole school." Aaron answered with a small shrug. "I know one person in the club, her names Emily." Spencer replied, feeling the need to keep the conversation going. He didn't know why but he really liked the sound of Aaron's voice, it was almost soothing.

Aaron let out a small laugh, looking sideways at Spencer. "She can be a tad overwhelming at first, but she's a really nice person once you get to know her." He tells Spencer before tilting his head to the side and adding, "Weeell, she's nice in her own way." Spencer let out a small giggle, trying to imagine the woman he met being overtly nice to someone. Spencer felt a little nervous as they walked through the doors but that feeling went away when he thought of Emily and Aaron. Even if he didn't know anyone else in the club, he knew two people, one of whom has already helped him, and the other seemed to have taken a little liking to Spencer.

"Guys," Aaron said, gaining the attention of the club. 5 different people looked up from the circle of chairs they were sitting in and looked at Spencer and Aaron. Spencer blushed and looked down at his shoes, scuffing them slightly while a girl in the circle let out a small 'aw'. "This is Spencer and he's decided to join." Aaron said, putting a hand on Spencer's shoulder and giving the kid a small smile, trying to relieve the kid's obvious anxiety. A woman, maybe a senior, with bleach blonde hair, a yellow dress, and a denim jacket walked up to him as if he were an animal backed in a corner. She gave him a timid smile and a small wave. "Hi, I'm Penelope." She said quietly. Spencer could see Emily roll her eyes behind Penelope and she let out a small snort. "He's not a dog, Penny."

Said girl rolled her eyes at Emily before looking back at Spencer and giving him the same smile as before, then turned around and walked back to her seat, flipping Emily off on her way. "Spencer this is Penelope Garcia, Grant Anderson, Haley Brooks, Mason Bullock, and Shawn Manning." Aaron said pointing to each person as he said their names, a different tone taking over his voice when he said Haley's name, something Spencer and everyone else in the room picked up on. Grant Anderson looked to be a freshman, with bowl cut brown hair, wearing a plaid shirt and some slacks, hanging onto every word Aaron said with a look of adoration on his face. Haley was a girl Spencer recognized from earlier in the day, who had come into his 4th period and made the announcement that Drama club was looking for more people to join, Elle had cracked a joke about the club, saying their productions are 'worse than Dirty Dancing'. Haley had light blonde hair that permed and went down to her bosom and was wearing a dress that poofed at the end, a fashion trend Spencer didn't like. Mason looked to be an average guy, maybe a little rough on the edges but still had a respectable air to him with sandy blonde hair and green eyes that are hard to forget. Shawn looked to be forced into this club; Spencer presumed it was punishment by the scowl on the guys face and arms crossed tightly over his chest. He glared slightly at Spencer when he looked over, a snarl pulling at his lips in an utmost intimidating way. Suffice to say, Spencer quickly looked away and pretended he hadn't been staring to begin with.

Aaron walked over and sat in a seat, motioning Spencer to sit in the one beside him. Spencer scurried over, trying to keep the smile off his face at the pride that filled him knowing Aaron wanted to sit beside him. "Okay, today we should do some impromptu to try and get Spencer a little more comfortable around us. Who wants to start us off?" Haley announced, glancing around the room as no one volunteered to go first. Her face fell ever so slightly, something that made Aaron stand and volunteer to go first. Spencer could sense the undeniable attraction between the two and it made him feel sadness for a reason he couldn't understand, but he brushed it aside; knowing he shouldn't overthink it. Aaron stood, walking over to Haley and that's how it began. At first Aaron pretended to be an officer, pulling Haley over for drunk driving, who was surprisingly good at pretending to be intoxicated, Penelope jumped in as being the passenger and soon enough everyone was participating, besides Spencer and Shawn.

Emily walked over to him with a raised eyebrow, taking the seat beside him. "Not your scene?" She questioned, not glancing over at him. Spencer grew a little warm, feeling embarrassed that someone noticed he wasn't that into it. "I-I just, I don't want to embarrass myself." He mutters, shaking his head. Emily looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders. "No one cares, well except maybe Shawn but he's an asshole anyways. Just say what comes to the top of that big brain of yours." "Well actually, the size of the brain doesn't account for the intelligence of-" Emily waves her hand at him, giving him a 'go on' look that Spencer wished he could ignore. Breathing in deeply, Spencer stood and walked toward the group, speaking loud enough to silence everyone. "What is going on over here, Officer? My children and I can't go to sleep because of all the commotion and I have work in the morning." Penelope and Aaron gave him encouraging looks before Aaron responded in the same deep, official tone.

Maybe fitting in at this school wasn't as hard as Spencer thought it would be.


	4. Chapter 4

Spencer Reid had been living with his aunt Ethel for two weeks, five days, and 19 hours. In that time he had made not only his first friend but he made five more friends which was more than enough. He had joined two clubs, drama and chess, made two enemies, and gotten a whole new wardrobe. Spencer had been spending a lot of time with Aaron during school hours and Elle outside of school. They had taken to going to the park every day after school for Elle to smoke while Spencer would either read or tell her the bad things about smoking. He had only just gotten his mom to stop, being around someone else who smoked made him nervous. Derek had been trying to make conversation with Spencer every day, no matter how brief. It felt as if Derek could sense that Spencer wasn't used to having popular people be nice to him and wanted to prove to Spencer they weren't all bad. Emily would sit with him at the end of 7th period. She had art for 7th period and it ended earlier than the other classes, but her boyfriend, who was her ride, didn't get out of class until 3:00. Spencer was happy to sit with her even if they've only said 5 sentences since they started sitting with each other; almost felt like she was showing her approval of him. Drama had been a surprisingly fun class, most days they would read and talk about different plays, some Spencer had to translate for the club and some were the typical Romeo and Juliet. The club still hadn't got the O.K. from the student council for the money to produce a play which seemed to be stressing Haley, who wanted to produce an amazing play for her last year in high school, out. Penelope had been very optimistic about the money, saying they would probably just have to do a fundraiser but even Aaron was starting to worry. Spencer had joined Chess Club and made friends with someone named Lance, the only person who truly rivaled Spencer when it came to chest. They were planning on having a guest chess teacher who would come every Thursday starting this week and Spencer couldn't be more excited.

With everything that was happening, it was actual starting to look like a good thing, moving across the country but no matter how many things changed for the better there's one thing that always stays the same. It was 3 in the morning when Spencer heard the first drawer being yanked open. He immediately sat up and walked to the latter, the sound of paper being torn loudly below him. The door to Ethel's room opened, slamming against the wall and the sound of her heavy footsteps pattered against the floor. "Diana, what are you doing?!" Was all Spencer had to hear before he was bolting down the stairs and running to the source of the noise.

Ethel was standing on one side of the living room, watching in horror as her sister pulled random books from the shelf and rummaged through the pages before ripping some out and pinning them to the wall, all the while mumbling about finding the key. "Mom." Spencer repeated, trying to get his mother's attention. Diane didn't even spare him a glance and instead kept looking through the books, throwing the used ones onto the floor; some almost hitting Ethel. Walking towards Diane slowly, Spencer tried grabbing the book from her hands but Diane merely yanked it back from him and used her hand to push Spencer away by his shoulder. He stumbled back, grabbing onto the table to steady himself, trying not to take it to heart. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Diana looked back at him, glaring at him when they made eye contact. Both of them were breathing heavily; Diane from anger and Spencer from being scared about what his mother was going to do. "I can find the key. I can find, the key." Diane said, waving the book around. "The key? What key?" Spencer asked, stepping closer and once again attempting to take the book from her slowly. Diane relents, holding tight onto the cover. She kept looking at him warily, wondering whether she could truly trust this boy with the secret. "The key." She said making Spencer realize she was far too gone for him to go anywhere for the next few hours. Letting out a sigh, Spencer slumped a little and gave his mom a small, hurt smile and asked, "How about I make some tea and we can talk about the key?" She seemed to give it some thought, Spencer was almost worried it wouldn't work but she eventually caved, releasing the book and letting Spencer take it out of her hands. She marched over to the couch, plopping herself on it. Once seeing his mother was calmed down, Spencer walked over to his aunt Ethel, seeing her still against the opposite wall while looking horror struck. It was hard to remember that he and his father were the only ones to see the full extent of his mother's schizophrenia because it got worse the older she got.

"I'll go make some tea and you can just go back to sleep, I can take care of her." Ethel just nodded at Spencer, looking at Diana with pity as she left the room. Spencer took one last look at his mother, who was picking at her robe, before walking to the living room and starting a pot to boil. He leaned back against the counter next to it, listening to how quiet the how was, almost completely silent if it weren't for his breathing and the occasional. The silence wasn't relieving, it didn't calm him down anymore than when his mother is screaming and yelling; the silence was a blanket that suffocated him with a low buzz that brought him closer and closer to insanity. This is insanity, Spencer thought bitterly, doing the same routine with my mother and expecting a different outcome that would never happen. But he would rather do this routine than give up entirely, than to write his mother out of his life like a stranger.

Maybe one day it can be differently, Diane could begin to regularly take her medication, which even if it's not always effective would be better than dealing with her not being medicated. "What's taking so long?" The question snaps Spencer out of his trance and he immediately turns around, putting the boiling water in two coffee cups with tea bags. Shoving down the last remnants of emotion, Spencer walked into the living room and gave his mother the same smile he always gave her, even when he wished he didn't have to.

. . . .

All day Emily had been ignoring the voice in her head, the nagging voice that was telling her something was wrong with Spencer. From the two weeks she had known Spencer, she learned he was not one to miss school. He had already gotten sick once since he got to the new school, blaming it on the dirty attic he called a room, but even then came to school and did just as well as he did any other day. It wasn't like Emily cared for him, he was just some kid who was easier to talk to than the other idiots at their school, but he could be hurt or dead and that was something Emily couldn't handle thinking about.

"Hey, have you seen Spencer?" Elle Greenaway. A freshman Emily had seen walking around with Spencer a couple of times, when he wasn't with her that is. Emily didn't know much about her, only that she punched Mickey Summers on the first day of school when he grabbed her ass and even then that wasn't a lot of information.

Raising an eyebrow, Emily saved the page she had been trying to read and put the book in her bag. "Why are you asking me?" She asked monotonously, staring at the wall right behind Elle like it was more important than their conversation. Letting out an impatient sigh, Elle cocked her hand on her hip. "Because you two seem to be friends, now do you know where he is or not because I don't want to waste my time talking to you if not?" To say it shocked Emily when Elle went off on her would have been hitting the nail right on the head, she had to struggle just to keep a neutral expression and that was saying something.

"I don't know where he is." Emily said quietly, hoping she didn't sound as worried as she thought she did. Elle let out another sigh while turning around to walk away but the sound of Emily's voice stopped her. "Tell me if you hear from him." Turning around, Elle gave the senior a nod before continuing on her way to wherever.

Emily didn't know where Spencer was or if he was okay but she hoped that either he would turn up soon or that the voice in her head would shut the hell up.

. . . .

It had taken almost the whole day but Spencer had finally gotten his mother to stop ranting about the book and how it was the key to something she refused to explain. It wasn't a new delusion of hers, she'd only had this one a couple of times though, most of them was her thinking the government was after her. One time she even took a hammer to the wall, trying to find the 'bugs' in the wall but all she did was put a hole in the wall and nearly hit Spencer in the head with the hammer.

At the moment she was napping on the couch, clutching the book to her chest as if it were the most important thing in the world. Spencer stood, staring at his sleeping mother with the same pressure he always felt on his chest whenever his mother was like this. It was a whirlwind of emotion on his mother's bad days and all he could do was stay strong and wait until she wasn't manic. His aunt Ethel had come out of her room a couple of times but each time she went right back in, apologizing through her tears but still saying she can''t sit and watch her sister like this. It was understandable, Reid had dealt with it for as long as he can remember, it had become the normal.

After taking a deep breath, Spencer grabbed the tea cups and took them to the kitchen, taking his time as he hand washed all the dishes in the sink. "Is she finally settled down?" Spencer turned around, looking at his aunt Ethel who, for the first time that day, wasn't crying. Her face was still blotchy, both her eyes and nose were rimmed red and her hair was in a mess; she looked a wreck. Taking a shaky breath, Spencer nodded, "Yeah, she'll be out for a while." Ethel nodded, her breath coming out in uneven huffs as if it was a struggle just to get air in.

"No, it's usually worse. Today was actually a good day in terms of her lucidity."

Ethel breathed in sharply, her eyes beginning to tear again making Spencer wonder why she was beginning to cry again. Before he could ask however, the doorbell rang making both of them turn towards it. "I'll get it." Spencer said quietly, regretting that he never changed out of his plaid pajamas.

Opening the door, Spencer was surprised to see Emily there, looking like she'd rather be anywhere but there. "Emily?" He questioned, subconsciously closing the door to where she couldn't see inside. Emily frowned for a second at the movement but quickly went back to her normal stoic shield, Spencer would have missed it had he not studied her behavior for the past few weeks. He always observed people, trying to decipher facial expressions and body language into mathematics, something he actually understand unlike people. He had failed so far.

"Elle was worried." I was worried. Emily took a second to analyze him, noting the dark bags under his eyes were darker and the way they were moving around, never focusing on one spot for more than a second; and the obvious, he was still in his pajamas yet he didn't show any physical signs of being sick. This only made her confusion and curiosity grow, wanting to know why the boy who loved learning would skip school.

When Spencer didn't say anything, choosing to instead chew on his lip and ignore her looks, Emily pulled her bag closer into her body, feeling more self conscious as the seconds ticked by. Sensing this, Spencer cleared his throat, opening and closing his mouth a few times before slumping and lamely saying, "I had to take care of my mom. She has the flu." Emily didn't say anything for a moment, seeing through his obvious lie but getting the feeling that it was something much bigger that she didn't even want to get into. Hell, she had only met the kid two weeks previous, she had no reason to snoop around his life when she wouldn't want anyone doing it to her.

"Oh." She slowly exhaled, bobbing her head. "Okay." They both stood for a few moments, neither knowing what to say but he also didn't want Emily to leave. Spencer never really had anyone to talk to about his mom (not like he wanted to) but it would've been nice to at least have someone with him who wasn't out of their mind. "Did I miss anything important?" Spencer asked, making Emily let out a quick breath and roll her eyes. She had been expecting this question and it only brought her mood down further. "City council is getting closer to their decision but we all know theater is getting cut, they're just yanking our chain with power hungry hands." She told him darkly, her eyes getting so small that the black makeup completely swallowed them and that, quite frankly, made Spencer stomach flutter in fear. Emily truly was a terrifying person sometimes.

Sighing loudly, Spencer looked back into the house once more before stepping out and shutting the door before sitting down on the steps. Emily followed suit, letting out her own sigh and taking a seat next to him with little thought to it.

The sound of little kids playing and adults conversing from a distance was barely audible from where they sat, but it did help fill the silence. Neither of them wanted to talk, leaving themselves in their own somber little bubble, oblivious to the outside world. Sometimes, when life gets hard and draining, just being in the presence of a friend can be just the perfect distraction and at the moment both of them needed that perfect moment.


End file.
